By Joshua H. Stulman 

Dark Phoenix brings to close almost two decades of X-Men movies. While the franchise has been instrumental in Marvel Comics rise to the big screen, the series also epitomizes a lot of problems with how directors have adapted some of Marvel’s most iconic storylines. 

I recently had a chance to speak with Chris Claremont when he stopped by the Brooklyn Comic Shop stand. Claremont was instrumental in establishing the X-Men mythos along with artist John Byrne. The pair created stories like Days of Future Past, the Phoenix Saga and introduced new characters like Kitty Pryde, the White Queen, the Hellfire Club and Dazzler. When I asked him about his thoughts on the Dark Phoenix movie, he summed it up pretty simply. The Phoenix saga spans almost 3 years of character building leading to the 9 part Dark Phoenix story. Claremont related that no matter how talented the director, it would be an impossible task to adapt in a single film. Sure enough, Claremont was correct and significant changes were made to Dark Phoenix that subsequently rewrote the story from scratch. 

Here are 10 changes that ruined Dark Phoenix:

10. No Chemistry

Aside from having the wrong cast of X-Men mutants in the film (ie. where’s Kitty Pryde, Colossus, and of course Wolverine), the film lacks the most important aspect: Chemistry. Chemistry in a group comic like X-Men is incredibly important both among the group as a whole but also amongst its principle love interests. Relationships that should have been established over previous movies were rushed or ignored. Nightcrawler and Storm had no real role other than to fill out the roster. While the focus of the film should have been on the love relationship of Cyclops and Jean Grey, instead it was undermined by a sub-plot regarding Professor X’s failure as a leader. Eventhough the actors playing Cyclops and Jean Grey had little chemistry themselves, they also were not given enough time to showcase this in the film.

9. No Wolverine 

Wolverine is arguably the star of the X-Men franchise, even before the films. Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of the character, while different than the comic version, has become iconic in its own right. Over the years it seemed that no X-Men movie could be made without him or at least a cameo. So it’s incredibly funny that one of his key X-Men stories doesn’t even have a passing reference. In the comics, Dark Phoenix saga featured Wolverine’s first solo story. It was also the first time that Wolverine confronted his feelings for Jean Grey, which would become a major theme in his life story. Adding Wolverine this late into the new X-Men film series would have been impossible for the story to have the same emotional experience as the comics. This further illustrates major problems with how X-Men has been bungled in its film history.

8. No Shi’ar Empire

X-Men adventures in space never matched up so well until artist Dave Cockrum created the Starjammers and the Shi’ar Empire. The two were a perfect meshing of Star Wars and Star Trek. Here the fate of Cyclops’s parents are revealed along with developing Marvel’s alien civilizations. The Shi’ar became a major reoccurring character that sometimes helped or stood against the X-Men. During the Dark Phoenix Saga, it is the Shi’ar that bring Jean Grey to trial after she murders an entire planetary system. Her death at its conclusion is a direct result of the Shi’ar and the X-Men’s ethical dilemma. 

7. No Hellfire Club / No Cool Villains 

At the onset of the Dark Phoenix Saga a new group of evil mutants are introduced called the Hellfire Club, a high society mutant organization. The group comprised of leader, energy absorbing Sebastian Shaw, mass manipulating Black Bishop, cyborg Donald Pierce and of course the scandalous telepath White Queen. They identify Jean Grey’s latent powers and seek to harness them for their benefit. The group embarks on a mission to systematically manipulate and brainwash Jean Grey to their cause. Unfortunately they get more than they bargain for when the Dark Phoenix emerges.

The X-Men franchise missed out on a big opportunity when they prematurely introduced Hellfire Club leader, Sebastian Shaw, in X-Men: First Class which also promptly saw his death. 

6. No Mastermind

Part of what makes the Dark Phoenix Saga so great is its use of the ordinary and quite lame villain, Mastermind. A villain who looks like Vincent Price and can cast illusions was always been relegated to lackey status. He didn’t even have a costume. However, the Dark Phoenix Saga re-envisions him as a master manipulator and perverted villain that both seduces and twists Jean Grey to evil. 

5. Magneto?

Magneto is undoubtedly the greatest X-Men villain, however he’s not the only X-Men villain. The overuse of Magneto in the X-Men films is one of its failures, especially when dealing with characters and stories with such a rich history. Magneto had no part in the Dark Phoenix Saga specifically for that purpose! Claremont intentionally wanted to bring to highlight and develop more of the X-Men’s rouge gallery. Magneto’s inclusion in the film fills the absence of other villains at the expense of rushing along his film series storyline. 

4. Death of Jean’s Mother 

Jean Grey’s parents have always made cameos throughout the series going back to the earliest issues. At times they’ve been used as the wholesome loving parents in contrast to Cyclops orphaning and later abandonment by his own parents. This had always been a root of Jean Grey’s innocence that became much more cathartic when she turns evil. The Dark Phoenix film contradicts her family background when it reveals that she had always been troubled and chaotic. In fact, she’s responsible for the murder of her mother and abandonment of her father. The movie uses these events to explain her turn to evil but at the expense of having the viewer experience the shock of her loss of innocence, which is by design the heart of the story. 

3. No one ages

Comic time is different than regular time. This way 50 years of publishing history can take place in the span of 5 years or so. However, the X-Men movies established themselves in very specific eras. The current cast of x-men debuted in X-Men First Class set in the early 1960’s while the current Dark Phoenix story is set in the early 90’s. This effectively would mean that Prof. X, Magneto, Mystique and Beast would all be in their 50’s. This is certainly not the case. Aside from the cast looking like they’re still in their 30’s, the director missed out on obvious and easy comic references to magneto’s iconic white hair. 

2. Death of Mystique

Mystique didn’t even exist when the original Phoenix Saga debuted  she was only included due to her legacy status within the film franchise and because she is played by Jennifer Lawrence. Mystique has always been a manipulative villain in the comics, however all of this was discarded for the film. Instead her accidental death at the hands of Jean Grey is what leads to jean’s breaking point. Again the accidental death of a friend is substituted in place of Dark Phoenix murdering millions in cold blood. The great magnitude of Dark Phoenix’s evil is undermined entirely in the film and the viewer never experiences the full corrupting power of the Dark Phoenix. 

1. No Dark Phoenix 

The major failure of the Dark Phoenix movie is that the Dark Phoenix never really shows up! The Dark Phoenix itself is an all powerful spirit that merges with Jean Grey and uses her to experience human emotions, like love and jealousy. It’s the Phoenix’s experience of humanity that corrupts itself because it never encountered or had to wrestle with human emotions. The Phoenix seeks to exploit Jean Grey in both body and spirit. It is this both internal and external struggle that makes the story so compelling. Unfortunately the director is only concerned with trying to find and explain a short Hand way to get Jean Grey to become Dark Phoenix and resolve the story. There’s no room or time left to develop any internal drama or begin to set up the ethical questions of responsibility. 

Overall Film Grade: 6/10

Comic Accuracy: 2/10

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Joshua H. Stulman

Owner, BrooklynComicShop.com